Election 2012: The time to decide has arrived

After months of rhetoric, television advertisements and campaign rallies, Election Day is finally here.

Come Tuesday, Delaware County's 397,773 registered voters will have the chance to choose candidates ranging from president to state office. Of the 397,773 registered voters, 176,252 are Republicans and 174,890 are Democrats, which leaves 46,631 registered with other parties or without affiliation.

Delaware County Democratic Party Chairman David Landau said he believes President Barack Obama will win the county and Democratic candidates in statewide races also will do well.

Landau said he also believes all the local Democratic incumbents for the Pennsylvania State Legislature will do well. "I think all of our state House and Senate candidates and our congressional candidate have done well with their campaigns and I think they are neck and neck and it's too close to call at this point," he said.

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Delaware County Republican Party Chairman Andy Reilly said he believes all the local Republican incumbent candidates from the congressional level to candidates for the Pennsylvania State Legislature will do well. He said all the candidates have run tremendous campaigns and have generated a lot of enthusiasm.

Reilly said the local GOP also has been impressed by the campaigns of new Republican challengers, such as Haverford Republican Bill Toal, Upper Darby Republican Earl Toole and Marcus Hook Mayor James "Jay" Schiliro.

As far as the presidential race goes, Reilly said the local GOP believes Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, will be received better in Delaware County than the Republican presidential ticket four years ago.

"We're confident now despite what some Democrats say that Pennsylvania is in play," he said.

Reilly said local Republican officials are confident that local residents do not want a repeat of the last four years and are hopeful voters will chose "a different and positive direction."

Presidential, Congressional Races

At the top of the ticket, voters can choose Republican Romney, Democratic incumbent Obama, Green Party candidate Jill Stein or Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson.

Reilly said Romney appeals to the voters of Delaware County because he is someone who has succeeded at any endeavor he took on in life, whether it was governor of Massachusetts, leader of Bain Capital or the work he did to save the Olympics a few years ago. "He's a proven winner," Reilly said.

Reilly said that Romney has the ability to work in a bipartisan fashion and did so on many occasions as governor of Massachusetts. Reilly believes Romney will appeal not only to Republicans but "commonsense" Democrats and independent voters.

Landau said Obama appeals to local voters because they look at the progress he has made in the face of economic odds. "I think people understand the programs he has in place and understand the alternative is much worse," Landau said.

Landau said he believes voters appreciate the president's commitment to Medicare and Medicaid, women's rights and his signature health care law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Landau said the president's views on issues are "much more in line with voters in Delaware County who are concerned about extremism of economic and social issues."

There are two congressional races in the area. In the 1st Congressional District race, longtime incumbent U.S. Rep. Bob Brady, D-1, of Philadelphia, faces Republican John Featherman, a Realtor from Philadelphia. The 1st Congressional District includes a portion of Delaware County, including the city of Chester. Under the congressional reapportionment plan that was approved by the Pennsylvania State Legislature in December 2011, the district picks up more of Delaware County, including Swarthmore, Nether Providence and a portion of Upper Darby.

In the 7th Congressional District race, freshman incumbent U.S. Rep. Pat Meehan, R-7, of Upper Darby, faces Democrat George Badey, an attorney and chairman of the Radnor Democratic Committee. The 7th District, which used to include the majority of Delaware County and portions of Chester and Montgomery counties, now includes those counties plus portions of Berks and Lancaster counties.

Landau said Badey is a very strong contrast to Meehan. He said Badey is committed to creating jobs and economic growth and protecting women's rights. He argued Meehan's record is closely aligned with the tea party movement "which is out of touch with the voters of Delaware County."

Reilly said Meehan is a "proven commodity in Delaware County." Reilly said Meehan did a wonderful job as Delaware County district attorney and U.S. attorney. He said Meehan is a "proven independent voice" who has run an excellent campaign. Reilly said he is confident the freshman congressman will return to Washington, D.C., for another two-year term.

Statewide Races

There are also several statewide races. In the U.S. Senate race, Republican Tom Smith, a coal mine businessman from Armstrong County, is running against incumbent U.S. Sen. Bob Casey Jr. from Lackawanna County.

In the Attorney General race, David Freed, the Cumberland County district attorney, faces Democrat Kathleen Kane, a former Lackawanna County prosecutor.

In the Auditor General race, Republican John Maher, a state representative from Allegheny County, faces Democrat Eugene DePasquale, a state representative from York County. In the state Treasurer race, Washington County Republican Diana Irey Vaughan faces incumbent Democrat Robert McCord, a Montgomery County resident.

In the state Legislature, all members of the state House are up for re-election this year. All but four representatives from Delaware County have races. State Reps. Steve Barrar, R-160, of Upper Chichester, Nick Miccarelli, R-162, of Ridley Park, Maria Donatucci, D-185, of Philadelphia, and Ron Waters, D-191, of Philadelphia, are running unopposed.

Incumbent state Rep. Greg Vitali, D-166, of Haverford, is running against Haverford Republican Bill Toal, a Delaware County assistant district attorney.

Incumbent state Rep. Tom Killion, R-168, of Middletown, is running against Thornbury Democrat Beth Alois, a Realtor, former librarian and vice chairwoman of the Thornbury Democratic Committee.

Two local state senators are up for re-election, including state Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi, R-9, of Chester, who faces Chester Democrat Patricia "Pat" Worrell, a Realtor, and state Sen. Daylin Leach, D-17, of Upper Merion, who faces Republican Charles Gehret, a public relations specialist from West Conshohocken, Montgomery County.

No Voter ID

On Election Day, polls will be open from 7 a.m.-8 p.m. Any voter who is in line at 8 p.m. will still be allowed to vote.

Photo identification cards for voting are not a mandatory requirement at the polls Tuesday, except for first-time voters. After months of controversy, Commonwealth Court Judge Robert Simpson blocked the controversial voter identification law from going into effect in the Nov. 6 election.

In his ruling last month, Simpson said he was concerned by the state's stumbling efforts to create a photo ID that is easily accessible to voters and that he could not rely on the assurances of government officials at this late date that every voter would be able to get a valid ID.

Republican Gov. Tom Corbett signed the GOP-backed law in March. Not one Democratic legislator voted in favor of the law.

Since its passage, there was significant controversy over the law. Democrats argued that the law would disenfranchise voters who tend to vote for Democratic candidates, including senior citizens, minorities, students and the poor.

The law called for voters to show certain forms of photo ID in order to vote at the polls. Poll workers can still perform a "soft rollout" of the law Tuesday, meaning they can ask voters if they have a photo ID but cannot deny them from voting if they do not have one.